


Move

by Rainbow_Transform



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, It's a kinda dark fic, References to Depression, at the end only, but there's a bit of light at the end of the tunnel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:35:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28587312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow_Transform/pseuds/Rainbow_Transform
Summary: “What would you give?” Dream asks him after he’s swallowed the bread, head cocked to the side and the mask just taunting him.“The disc,” Tubbo says. “That’s what I’d give up. If you bring him back.”
Relationships: Eret & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Niki | Nihachu & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Phil Watson, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Technoblade, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 12
Kudos: 102





	Move

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princedemeter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princedemeter/gifts).



> Okay guys! This is a bit darker of a fic than I normally would write. It does have some stages of grief, depression all of that kinda stuff. This is a warning right here at the beginning, and I totally get it if you don't/can't read it. You guys are amazing either way.
> 
> This was a respeonse to PrinceDemeter's fic. (doors that do not open) Y'all should really go check it out and read it, because it is amazing.

It’s raining when Tubbo lowers his best friend into the ground. Ghostbur is watching from Tubbo’s shoulder, Phil and Techno ‘hiding’ somewhere else. Tubbo can’t bring himself to care. He’s watching the casket in the ground as Puffy and Niki throw a handful of dirt on top of it, watches as Sapnap and George do it, watches as Dream lets it flow through his fingers (like he’s letting go of something).

The rain makes everything feel sadder, Tubbo thinks. It turns the dirt to mud, and it splatters against Tommy’s casket and Tubbo can’t bring himself to move. Eret nudges him forward. “Go ahead,” he whispers. “Will you say goodbye?”

Tubbo steps back, and shakes his head. He turns his head against Eret’s shoulder, and shakes with silent tears, refusing to come out even as Eret ruffles his hair. “It’s okay,” Eret tells everyone who stops by. “He’ll be okay. He’s just tired, and upset.” They accept the apologies from everyone, and when it’s all over, Eret guides Tubbo toward their castle. 

They don’t say anything else until they get inside the walls, and Eret gently sits Tubbo down onto a big chair. Tubbo’s still holding onto the handful of dirt that’s somehow still dry, that he was supposed to put on Tommy’s grave, and Eret manages to open his hand and take it from him. They replaces it with a cup of hot cocoa and then starts cleaning around him, humming a lullaby that they’d used to sing when Tubbo had a nightmare and couldn’t go back to sleep. 

Tubbo doesn’t believe it.

* * *

He stays in bed for the next week. Eret tells Quackity to shove the Presidential Duties up the ass, because Tubbo’s mourning right now. Everytime Big Q tried to get a word in, Eret would just turn away and basically just ignore him. 

“Oh, and Quackity,” Eret said when Q went to leave, lightly. “If you ever drag my little brother into one of your revenge plots, _I’m going to take your last life.”_ Tubbo doesn’t know how his brother suddenly knows about the Butcher Army, but there’s a decent chance that Eret’s got spies in L’manberg. 

Eret also turns away most of the people coming to visit him. They allows Niki in once or twice, but Tubbo doesn’t speak when she’s in. But she reads to him, some books that she’d think he’d like. (He kinda doesn’t really). Phil tries to come, and Tubbo hears a sword being unsheathed, and Eret’s voice saying something too low for him to hear. 

(Tubbo doesn’t care enough to know. Phil could get in if he wanted to. Could see him, if he’d really, really wanted to. But he doesn’t, and Tubbo thinks it’s because he doesn’t really care. Techno hasn’t visited them, either.)

Eret sits next to him when everyone’s gone. “Do you want me to go get someone else?” He asks. 

“Can you get Tommy?” Tubbo replies.

“You know I can’t, Tubbo,” Eret says back. “I’m sorry. But he’s…”

“Please don’t say it,” Tubbo whispers. “I don’t want you to say it.”

Eret’s quiet, before they suddenly take the covers, and lays down behind Tubbo. They hug him, and they don’t say anything. But Tubbo hears it all the same, and tears start streaming down his face. But Tubbo doesn’t turn around, and Eret doesn’t ask. 

There’s only Tubbo crying that fills the air.

* * *

Two weeks later, Eret forces Tubbo out of bed and he gives Tubbo some toast and eggs for breakfast. “Eat,” they say. Tubbo blinks at the breakfast, before picking up his fork and eating a bite. He sets it down, then, and shakes his head. 

“I’m not hungry,” he mumbles. “Can I go back to bed?”

Eret’s quiet before they sigh. “Tubbo,” he says. “You can’t stay in bed forever. You do have a job as president, and leader of the nation.”

“I know,” Tubbo says, his leg jumping underneath the table. “I fucking _know,_ okay? I just want to go to _sleep.”_

“How about you help me redecorate the castle?”

“I want to go to sleep.” Tubbo repeats. He feels tears filling up his eyes and then he’s looking down at the breakfast with blurry eyes before he’s _angry._ “Why the _fuck_ did he do it?” He says. “Why did he _do it?_ ”

His sibling doesn’t say anything. “There’s a lot of reasons,” they say finally, softly. “It isn’t your fault, Tubbo.”

Tubbo throws the plate in front of him off the table, hears it crash against the wall and Eret’s jumping out of their seat to clean it up. Tubbo doesn’t apologize, and Eret doesn’t ask for one. But they clean the area with Tubbo watching from the table, feeling the anger drain from him just as quickly as it’d come.

“Can I go to bed?” He asks, again and Eret pauses. They don’t say anything for the longest time before they take a deep breath and nod. 

“Tomorrow,” Eret tells him. “We’re going to do something tomorrow.”

Tubbo snorts.

* * *

Eret brings him to his and Ranboo’s bee sanctuary. “The bees are dying to see you again,” Ranboo says carefully. He doesn’t look at him, instead staring right at Eret. 

“That’s good. Right Tubbo?”

“I guess.” Tubbo says, not looking at any of them either. 

“I’ll be out here, waiting for you, okay? Go ahead inside.” Eret tells him, pushes him toward the doors that he’d made.

When Tubbo walks in, he doesn’t want to be here. There’s bees everywhere, and it smells like honey but Tubbo doesn’t feel anything. One of the bees near him nudges him gently and Tubbo stares at the BeeInnIt tag that’s wrapped around the bee’s neck. And Tubbo starts crying.

“Oh geez. Oh no,” Ranboo says, flittering around. “Oh my god, Tubbo. Hey, it’s okay. What even set you off?” And then he spies the bee that’s flying away now, buzzing and the tag that it has and Ranboo swallows. “Oh.”

Tubbo sinks down to his knees, hiccuping. “Tubbo. Hey, Tubbo,” Ranboo says again. “Don’t worry. It’s okay⸺”

_“It’s not okay!”_ Tubbo screams, at the top of his lungs. The bees around them buzz and fly around before they all disappear. Tubbo thinks he hears Eret, but he doesn’t care. _“Nothing’s okay! This entire fucking thing is so fucked up.”_

Tubbo looks up at Ranboo. “Ranboo, why didn’t he just _stay?_ ”

Ranboo’s quiet. “I don’t know.” He says. 

“You’re lying.” Tubbo says, angry again. “You know why. Tell me why.” He stumbles up, grabs onto Ranboo’s suit and pulls him closer. _“Tell me why he did it.”_

Ranboo stutters, and he swallows and he opens his mouth again, and says “I think⸺”

“Ranboo? Tubbo, what are you _doing?”_ Eret shouts and breaks Tubbo’s hold on him. “Back to the castle, Tubbo! Sorry, Ranboo,” they say and Tubbo laughs. 

“I’m not,” he says. “You _knew_ my best friend would do it, and you didn’t care.”

“I did.” Ranboo says, mouth twisting up. “I cared so much more. I visited him more than _you,”_ and then Ranboo clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” he rushed out. “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.” 

Ranboo runs out of the bee sanctuary, and Tubbo makes to go after him before Eret grabs the back of his shirt like a cat. “Don’t even think about it.” They say. “You’re going back home.”

“Meh, meh, meh,” Tubbo mutters. “You’re annoying.”

“Uh-huh,” they say unimpressed. “And you’re a little brother. Congrats.”

* * *

He escapes from the window that Eret (stupidly) gave him after his sibling gave him this big lecture about how he “shouldn’t do it” and that he’s the “president” (even though he doesn’t feel like one. Even though being that made his friend leave. Even thou⸺)

He finds Dream with his hoodie on, an iron axe and no Netherite in sight. “Bring back Tommy,” Tubbo demands.

“What?” Dream asks, looking over at the him. Tubbo knows that he looks silly, wearing pajamas and his hair’s a mess, but Tubbo’s angry, and Dream’s a God. So Dream can bring Tommy back from Death.

“Bring Tommy back,” Tubbo says again. Dream doesn’t say anything for a bit before he tears off a piece of bread and eats it. 

“What would you give?” Dream asks him after he’s swallowed the bread, head cocked to the side and the mask just taunting him. 

“The disc,” Tubbo says. “That’s what I’d give up. If you bring him back.”

Dream heaves a sigh, sits down at the community house’s platform and gestures for Tubbo to do the same. They’re both criss-cross and Dream shakes his head. “I can’t do that, Tubbo,” he says, quietly. 

Tubbo wants to tear out his own hair. “You can’t be serious. I’m offering the _disc._ The one thing you’ve been after since basically the start of the server and you can’t _do anything about it?”_

“Death is tricky,” Dream says. “It gets all of us, eventually. And it’s something that I can’t stop, or take away.”

“The disc, and I’ll trade my spot for Tommy’s.” Tubbo says. 

“Tubbo,” Dream says. “No. I can’t do it.”

“But you’re _God.”_ Tubbo says. “You can do anything.”

“Even Gods are scared of death, Tubbo.” Dream reminds him. “Go home. Keep the disc, Tubbo. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Where are you going?”

Dream shrugs, slings his axe across his shoulders and looks out into the water. “I don’t know.” He says. “But if you ever need me, just call one of my Hunters. They’ve got compasses.” And then he turns around, waves a goodbye and walks away. 

Dream might be scared, but there’s one God that Tubbo _knows_ isn’t scared of death, and doesn’t die. Tubbo looks up and wonders how he’s going to get to Techno’s house without Eret knowing (or finding) him within the first couple of minutes.

Tubbo sets a plan.

* * *

The plan works perfectly. Tubbo’s surprised that his sibling doesn’t even know how to act with how Tubbo eats the food that’s placed in front of him, cleans what’s asked of him, and when Tubbo asks to go see Ranboo. _“To apologize,”_ Tubbo lied. _“But can I do it on my own?”_

Eret agrees, but decides at the last moment to send Puffy with him (without telling Tubbo, he’ll add). They whisper about something, and Tubbo’s mind immediately calculates what he’s got to do. They end up leaving together, and while Puffy’s looking for Ranboo, Tubbo’s looking for a boat, or something just to make his escape. The trident he’d gotten is in Eret’s hands, being held until Tubbo can (safelty) pilot himself with it and that he doesn’t… 

_That doesn’t matter,_ Tubbo thinks fiercely. _I’m going to find Technoblade, and I’m going to fucking_ **_make_ ** _him bring Tommy back._

Puffy calls out a hello, and Tubbo’s head snaps up to stare directly at Ranboo. He’s holding onto his Memory Book, shaking and he lifts his hand and waves it. They’re by the dock, and Ranboo’s just gotten out of his own boat. “What’s up?” Ranboo says and Puffy turns to look at Tubbo. 

“I came to apologize,” Tubbo says, straightening his back. “I was wrong for doing that to you.”

“Thank you, Tubbo,” Ranboo says. “And I’m sorry about the… you know.”

“Of course,” Tubbo says. “No hard feelings, right?” And he makes his hand into a fist, and holds it out for a fistbump. Ranboo smiles, and makes to do his own fist right before Tubbo socks him right in the face. Ranboo stumbles back, stunned and Puffy stares open-mouthed as Tubbo takes off across the dock and slides into Ranboo’s boat.

“TUBBO! NO!” Puffy shouts, running after him. Tubbo’s ready, though and he rows out to the sea, yelling in delight. 

“Tubbo!” Ranboo calls, a heartbroken look on his face. Tubbo doesn’t look back, and he keeps rowing away from L’manberg, from being president. From Tommy’s grave.

Tubbo rows, and rows, and rows.

He docks the boat where he’d remembered beforehand. The house would be a little bit away, but Tubbo shivers in the cold, wishing he’d gotten maybe a jacket before he’d left. But the plan worked better with the hot day in L’manberg, and Tubbo knows that he can’t. He _can’t_ mess this up.

He goes straight, and hopes that he finds Techno’s base before he freezes.

* * *

Techno’s waiting for him outside his house, Phil watching through the windows. “I was wondering when it’d be my turn. Though, I thought you’d come to me first.” Techno says. 

“I want Tommy back.” Tubbo says. “You’re not scared of death, and you never die. So, you can bring him back.”

“That’s just a _reference,_ Tubbo.” Techno says. “I’m cocky, and I don’t die for sure, but I’m not going to fight Death for a kid who never did anything for me.”

“He looked up to you,” Tubbo snarls. “He loved you like a brother, and you’re going to sit here and tell me he didn’t do _anything_ for you?”

Techno snorts. “He betrayed me and build a government.”

“What if I dismantle it,” Tubbo asks. “If you bring him back, I will dismantle the government. You have my word.”

Techno pauses. Tubbo watches him give it some thought before shaking his head. “No, kid,” Techno tells him. “Now turn around, and go back to the King.”

“My sibling isn’t here,” Tubbo snaps back. “I ran away.”

“Yeah. I had Phil text him when we saw you over on the horizon. He’s coming right now.”

Tubbo snorts. “I’m not going back home,” he says. “Hell no. That’s annoying.”

“You can’t stay here,” Techno says, spreading his arms. 

Tubbo risks a glance into the windows, sees Phil’s pained expression and he remembers something he’d read so long ago about him. “Angel of Death. That’s what they called you right?”

“Yeah, mate,” Philza says. “They did call me that.”

“Then that means you’re in leagues with Death, right?” Tubbo hisses. “Because you’re Their Angel.”

“It’s just a name, Tubbo,” Philza says. “It’s just a name that I got way back in SMP Earth.”

Tubbo growls and bends down to pick up the snow underneath him. He throws it at the window, and Phil yelps before he escapes back into the house. Tubbo’s fingers feel numb, and he looks at Techno. 

“You’re a bitchboy.” He declares and Techno rises, towering over him. 

“You’re being childish,” he says dryly before dropping his cloak over Tubbo’s shoulders. “Don’t freeze. If you want my advice… coming from someone who’s lost family. It’s better to let go. Wait for your sibling. I’m going inside.”

Tubbo twists his face up into a grimace and he stares up where Techno’s on the stairs, feeling his fingers begin warming up. “You don’t know anything.” He says. 

“I know a lot,” Techno snaps back. “And I’m not going to argue with a _kid.”_

Techno turns his back, like he’d done thousands of times before. But Tubbo really can’t help but feel this time is different.

* * *

Tubbo ends up running from Techno’s house when he sees Eret and Puffy’s form in the distance. He keeps the cloak on, but manages to run into the woods. The cloak’s blue and white, so parts of it can blend into the background if Tubbo’s really careful about it. But at the same time, he’s moving as fast as he possibly can, stumbling over the too-big, too-long cloak and when he sees a hut, he runs into it.

And, by the Grace of the Gods, there’s a person occupying the space.

The witch pauses in his potion making and stares at him. “What the fuck?” He asks and Tubbo takes a deep breath, and looks at him. 

“I’m hiding.” Tubbo says. 

“I get that.” The witch says. “From who?”

“My brother.”

“Ah.”

There’s silence, and then the witch puts something else into the brewer stand, checks on the bottles and then sighs. “Alright,” he decides. “What do you need.”

“What?”

“I’m a Witch. You’re a kid running. What do you need?”

“Um… I don’t know. A lot.”

“Like…?”

“My best friend back?”

“From the dead?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, yeah I can do that.”

_“Really?!”_

* * *

The witch explains that he can’t really bring Tommy back, but Tubbo can gift Tommy his life. “We all have three that really count, remember? And you can just give one life back! Simple as that.”

“Awesome.” 

“Yeah! Your friend should wake up in the casket, and when you’re back, you should hurry there.” 

Tubbo blinks, and then opens his mouth and the witch pauses. “You _are_ coming back, right?”

“It’s my last life,” Tubbo says. “Trading mine for his.”

The witch blinks again before muttering _“shit”_ , and rubbing his eyes. “Okay. Okay, that’s fine. Here, kid.” He puts a piece of paper and a pen in Tubbo’s hand. “For your siblings or father and mother or whatever. I’ll find them later on and give it to them.”

“I think they’d find you first,” Tubbo says, holding the pen tightly. 

“Either way.” The witch declares. “I’ve got invisibility potions and everything else. I can actually fight, too, you know.”

Tubbo doesn’t say anything, opting to just write _tommy safe back home. Open the casket and don’t worry._ And the witch hums as he runs around mixing potion ingredients together and opening cupboards and chests and doing whatever witches do. He plucks the things from Tubbo’s hand, and replaces it with the potion he’d just finished.

“You won’t come back,” the witch says. “Which is fine. I’m not going to make you regret this choice or anything, but you won’t be back. Understand?”

Tubbo nods, feeling the witch’s eyes on him. “Good.” The witch says. “Now drink it.”

Tubbo does.

* * *

Tubbo blinks, and he’s at the Elections for L’manberg officials, Ranboo just starting his speech. He blinks, and he’s at the Bench, laughing at nothing. He blinks and he’s listening to the disc Tommy gave him. Blinks and he’s at Niki’s bakery, laughing with Puffy about something stupid; blinks and Fundy’s next to him, swelling with pride. Blink, blink, blink, blink, Ghostbur, Eret, Dream, Callahan. Blink, blink, and he’s picking up children, swinging them around like no tomorrow and they’re laughing and laughing.

Blink, and there’s Tommy. He’s got a huge grin on his face, and he grabs onto Tubbo’s and he pulls him up. “Hey big man!” Tommy says. “What’s up?”

“Tommy…” Tubbo says, before throwing himself onto his best friend, hugging him tightly. Tommy yelps, and hugs him back. 

“Tommy,” Tubbo says. Then he scrambles backward, stares at him and Tommy’s smile only widens. 

“Tubbo!” Tommy says. “What’s wrong?”

“You left me.” Tubbo says, feeling his eyes fill with tears again. “Tommy you _left_ me.”

Tommy doesn’t say anything, but he does nod his head. “I did,” he said. “I thought it was my only option.”

“But it wasn’t.”

“I didn’t know that, Tubbo. I didn’t know that and I was left alone for the longest time and I only had Dream for the company. And he’s a whole other thing I don’t want to get into.”

“Is he really a God?”

“Fuck, I think he’s Fallen, honestly. No one else talks about him, but the moment you bring up ‘Clay’ they’re all ‘he was so sweet and nice’ like a bunch of fucking vegans.”

“That makes no sense, TommyInnIt.”

Tommy smiles, and nudges Tubbo’s shoulder. “So.. what’re you doing here? Did you die?” 

“No,” Tubbo says. “I’m here to bring you home.”

“What?” Tommy says. “No, Tubbo. You can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Cause you’ve only got one life. And if you give that up, then you’re going to the one who… oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Fucking _no._ You stupid dumbass, fucking bee loving _bitchboy._ ”

“What do you mean?! I want you home!”

“Oh you want me home without _you._ Fuck no.” 

“Tommy,” Tubbo says, and reaches for him. “You have to go back home. You can live without me, you’ll be fine. You’ll have Ghostbur and everyone else. _I_ can’t do it without you by my side.”

“Tubbo,” Tommy says quietly. “You might think you can’t, but you were doing good. I was watching, you know.”

Tubbo purses his own lips and then leans his head against Tommy’s shoulder. “Tommy,” he says. “I really don’t think I can go back.”

“You can.” Tommy says. “If anything, I’d crack harder. You at least cry, you baby.”

Tubbo laughs, and flicks Tommy’s forehead. “My Streamer,” he says fondly. Tommy laughs, and then stretches.

“You’ve got to go back, Tubs.” Tommy says. 

“But not without you.”

“Okay.” Tommy says. “We’ll go together.”

“Yeah!” Tubbo exclaims, and laughs before he turns to grab onto Tommy’s arm. “Let’s jump together.”

“Sure,” Tommy says. And he grabs onto Tubbo’s hands, and just when they’re about to jump he stops. Tubbo turns to ask him what’s wrong before he’s falling and then Tommy’s holding onto him by his shirt.

“Tommy?” Tubbo asks. He’s halfway falling halfway up, staring at his best friend’s face. 

“I know I don’t say this a lot, Tubbo.” Tommy said. “But you’re going to be amazing.”

And he lets go. 

And Tubbo falls.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope that you guys enjoyed this! You can go ahead and meet on my Tumblr, scream at me there, or chill here. I'm cool with it either way. And, Grav, I do hope you liked it!


End file.
